Jarrett Heather

Ethan vs Pacman

2009-05-28T03:33:40Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

When You Go

2009-03-13T17:15:45Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

As always, right-click here to download the mp3. Of you can download just the piano track by itself.

Here’s a MIDI file that I made while working out the arrangement. This isn’t quite the same as the performance in the video, but the data might be useful to someone.

Master of Song Fu

2009-02-11T22:44:50Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

I entered this songwriting contest, but I’m currently losing.

If you’re not too busy, head over here to listen to all the entries and vote for your favorites. If you are too busy, then just go there and vote for me.

Star Wars: Retold

2009-01-16T00:22:21Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn’t seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

This video made me lol.

Cintiq Fun

2008-12-31T06:38:18Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

My Cintiq 12WX arrived this evening. Here’s a couple sketches I made while trying to get a feel for it. The tree was drawn in Photoshop, and the moon was done in Corel Painter, which I need a lot more practice with. It’s a bit frustrating.

I’m very happy with the tablet so far. It’s a lot of fun to use.

Ethan’s Art Project

2008-12-31T01:51:21Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

Ethan decided he wanted to make some beautiful paintings to send to his grandparents as Christmas gifts. We thought it would be fun to share a video of the artist at work. I imagine the video of Ethan creating his masterpiece will eventually help us deflect scrutiny from 60 minutes.

A Little Christmas Music

2008-12-26T00:47:47Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

I didn’t bother to hook up a proper mic, so the sound is a little low-fi.

But I did put on pants, being that it’s a special occasion and all.

The three songs in this medley are Christmas Time is Here by Vince Guaraldi, Jingle Bells, and of course, Chiron Beta Prime by Jonathan Coulton.

Merry Christmas!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

2008-12-24T22:28:05Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

It’s recycled from 2006, but you’ll listen to it, and you’ll enjoy.

Crisis Averted

2008-12-16T18:13:44Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

Let me set the stage.

It was a little past seven o’clock last Thursday evening. The weather was very foggy that night, and the sun sets before five this time of year, so it was really dark and nasty outside. Danielle was easing Ethan into his bedtime routine, and I was fiddling with some hardware in my office.

I heard distant police sirens and fire engine horns growing steadily louder. Our neighborhood is usually pretty quiet. We don’t get a lot of police chases or gang shootouts. But the sirens grew louder still, and I could see the flashing lights through my office blinds. A moment later the noise reached its ear-splitting cacophonous crescendo of police, ambulance, and fire sirens, along with occasional loudspeaker announcements too distorted to make out. I decided to investigate what was going down.

I peeked out the front door, and I saw a massive fleet of police and emergency vehicles across the street a few houses down. Neighbors were all coming out to see. Some people were shuffling up the street toward our house. I was sure I smelled smoke.

I retreated inside, and Danielle and Ethan were there staring out the living room window. Ethan looked absolutely terrified. The noise was unbearable. We had no idea what was happening. Was there a fire? An industrial accident? A natural disaster? I was ready to pack a bag and say goodbye to all my worldly possessions forever.

As a ladder truck crept past our house, we finally heard a voice on the loudspeaker we could understand. It boomed THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TO SUPPORT THE CHRISTMAS PARADE.

Pumped

2008-12-12T18:09:04Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

After nearly five days of my new routine, I suspect that daily exercise has improved my well-being more than the nutritious, 1,500-Calorie diet.

I genuinely look forward to doing my exercise each morning. I didn’t expect that to happen so soon. Yourself!Fitness deserves real credit. Maya recognized my state of complete physical neglect and started me out with just the right kind of exercises to begin conditioning my body. I can already see some results. On day one, I was about five minutes into the warm-up before I felt so winded that I had to pause to take a few breaths. Today, I got through the entire warm-up section without losing momentum, even though the software has already bumped me up to slightly more difficult exercises.

My workouts this week have cycled through cardiovascular, upper-body strength, lower-body strength, core strength and flexibility. Today’s workout had some very challenging moves. I failed to perform a proper V-up. My core just isn’t strong enough yet. I also couldn’t hold a boat pose for the full duration, but I tried my best to keep up. Doing the yoga poses with correct form and balance is extremely difficult, but I can feel myself growing stronger and more controlled with each session.

I very proud of what I’ve done this week, and more importantly, I feel great.

Day One

2008-12-08T19:47:11Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

It’s December 8th, 2008, and today I’ve decided to do things differently.

I’ve been pretty off-balance lately. My old routine went out the window when Ethan was born, and I’ve never gotten back onto a firm footing. My sleeping and eating habits have been very erratic, and I’ve gradually become less and less physically active. This lifestyle has impacted my overall health and mental well-being.

I haven’t gained much weight, as it turns out. For the past few years I’ve been between 185 and 190 pounds. This morning I weighed 191.5. But my shape has changed. I’ve gotten softer and rounder in the middle, and I look like I’ve gained 30 or 40 pounds. I’ve been drinking too much soda and eating too much junk food. I’ve never really over-eaten, but I haven’t been getting proper, balanced nutrition. And generally speaking, I pretty much feel like crap…

Read the rest of this entry »

An Impressive Feat

2008-12-06T07:14:44Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

So, this guy is playing the guitar part with a custom drum controller. I am awestruck by the ingenuity, skill and endurance.

Stay tuned for “Hamster Piano”.

Threaded Comments!

2008-12-04T18:10:40Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

I’m hooking up a plug-in for threaded comments in my blog posts. I don’t have a separate development site for SpaceParanoids, so we’re all in the test tube.

Help me test this by leaving me a comment here.

Holiday Trauma

2008-12-02T20:35:55Z

Cross-posted from SpaceParanoids.net. Please leave your comments there.

It seems like everyone has a story about going to the emergency room on a major holiday. On Easter Sunday, 1995 I was in the worst car accident of my life (hopefully). I was spending some quality time with my second family. My best friend Chris, his sister and folks were piled in a minivan. Chris’ dad, blind in one eye, pulled the Dodge onto Route 13 directly in front of a car speeding along in the fast lane. I don’t remember hearing the screeching of rubber before the impact. The little wagon struck the van on the right-front fender and veered off into a ditch. The van spun around like a top, coming to rest in the facing south in the center northbound lane. Both vehicles were totaled.

The old people got the worst of the impact, but thankfully everyone recovered fully. I got scraped up and bruised, but I wasn’t injured. The ER doctor made me get a tetanus shot, which ultimately caused me more pain and discomfort than being in the wreck.

We had been on our way to morning church services in Cheswold, and we often joked that this was God’s way of telling us, “don’t bother.” And I haven’t.

Despite being 21 months old, Ethan already has his first story about going to the emergency room on a major holiday. On Thanksgiving morning I was trying to keep Ethan busy while Danielle frantically prepared for the trip to her mother’s in the Bay Area…

Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Birthday!

2007-03-26T16:20:36Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE!

Love, Ethan & Jarrett :)

A Note on Fatherhood

2007-03-21T08:18:47Z

I finally got Danielle to go to bed without taking Ethan along. She doesn't let me get up at night for Ethan. She wants me to rest so I can work. But she's doing more work every day than I am. I don't want to see her get frazzled. She needs her rest more than I do.

So tonight I've decided to keep Ethan upstairs with me all night, and I'll sleep as much as I can on the couch. It's hard for me to get to sleep between feedings and changings, but that just means I'll get that much more quality father/son time :)

With any luck, Danielle will sleep through the night, wake up refreshed, and she'll get to enjoy a happy day with our boy.

I love being a dad!

Insurance Policy

2007-03-21T08:06:24Z

1. Purchase this item.

2. Photograph male child wearing item.

3. Wait fifteen years.

4. Threaten to upload photographs to child's MySpace profile if he doesn't stay in line.

Hmmm... could be a worthwhile investment.

Great News

2007-02-28T17:15:51Z

Danielle and Ethan are getting discharged today! I'm so looking forward to having my family at home where they belong. Although I fear I'll miss the round-the-clock nursing care and babysitting services, it's a welcome trade-off.

Danielle has been recovering from surgery a lot faster than I would have expected. Yesterday she was on her feet and moving around quite a bit, and she even managed to take a shower on her own. She still has a lot of mending to do, but she's making very fast progress.

Ethan has been doing just great. He's just a happy, healthy, beautiful little boy. I'm so looking forward to introducing him to our friends and family.

And finally, here are some more photos of Ethan.

jarrett @ 2007-02-26T09:49:00

2007-02-26T17:49:55Z

jarrett @ 2007-02-26T08:14:00

2007-02-26T08:17:51Z

He's here!

Ethan Jarrett Heather
February 25, 2007, 11:35 pm
9 lbs, 3.4 oz, 20.5 in

Danielle is stil getting fixed up from the C-section, but Ethan is doing awesome.

jarrett @ 2007-02-26T06:02:00

2007-02-26T06:03:36Z

We're going to surgery now.

jarrett @ 2007-02-26T05:32:00

2007-02-26T05:33:26Z

We've made a lot of progress, but there's a lot more pushing to do.

It might be another hour.

jarrett @ 2007-02-26T05:12:00

2007-02-26T05:13:35Z

Danielle is still pushing.

At 9:30 pm the nurse is going to check her progress.

jarrett @ 2007-02-26T04:22:00

2007-02-26T04:30:29Z

Time to push again.

jarrett @ 2007-02-26T03:40:00

2007-02-26T03:43:37Z

Oh, I guess we still have a little ways to go. They're giving Danielle a break from pushing for an hour or so to see if the baby will come down a bit on his own.